Aerating apparatus



.March26,1968 -R.L.GRAy 3,374,990

AERATI NG APPARATUS Filed April 14, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.RICHARD L. GRAY BYZ as: '9 60% ATTORNEYS March 26, 1968 L. GRAY AERATINGAPPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 14, 1966 3 INVENTOR.

- RICHARD L. GRAY ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,374,990 AERATINGAPPARATUS Richard L. Gray, Orrville, Ohio, assignor of one-half toCharles F. Herman, Orrville, Ohio Continuation-impart of applicationSer. No. 372,941,

June 5, 1964. This application Apr. 14, 1966, Ser.

3 Claims. (Cl. 261-29) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for aeratingliquid in a container constituting a housing enclosing a power supply, amotor, and an impeller having axial air and liquid inputs and a radialoutput with an extension discharging the fluids within the containerliquid; and, a lid selectively attachable to the housing for detachablymounting it on the container and for insertion and removal of the powersupply means.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending applicationSer. No. 372,941, filed June 5, 1964, now abandoned.

The present invention relates generally to aerating apparatus forrecharging a fluid with air. More particularly, the invention relates topumping apparatus for recirculating a mixture of fluid and air into acontainer of the fluid. Specifically, the invention relates to a unitarycentrifugal pumping apparatus which supplies water having entrained airto a container of the water to maintain an oxygen level which willsupport and keep alive minnows or other aquatic life consuming smallquantities of oxygen.

When minnows, shrimp, or other live bait are placed in an enclosedcontainer of practical size for purposes of transportation, the oxygenis depleted in a short time so that the minnows become sluggish andeventually expire. This can be prevented only by replacing the Waterfrequently with fresh water or introducing a supply of oxygen into thewater. In the past, containers were constructed with a plurality ofholes to allow circulation of water when the container was submerged ina lake or larger container of fresh Water. However, these devices areunsatisfactory in the many instances where fresh water is notconveniently available.

More recently, efforts have been made to reprocess the water in acontainer to replenish the oxygen content therein. A common type ofreprocessing apparatus employs a reciprocating air pump; however, thesepumps have proven less than satisfactory due to the high powerrequirements and sizeable apparatus necessitated. Other types of deviceshaving the same disadvantages include spraying equipment which dispersesa jet of water through the air to pick up suflicient oxygen toreconstitute the entire container. In all of the above types ofapparatus, high cost precision equipment of appreciable size and weightis necessitated to meet the operating requirements of a conventionallive bait container, and the equipment often has a noise levelsufficiently high to produce an environment which is uncomfortable 'forthe bait.

Accordingly, a principal object of the. present invention is to provideaerating apparatus for charging a container of live bait with oxygenwhich is of small unitary construction and readily portable.

Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus having a small,integrally contained battery-operated pumping device which aerates andcirculates water in a container.

A further object of the invention is to provide aerating apparatushaving a centrifugal pump with axial air and fluid inputs and a radialdischarge for a mixture of water and entrained air.

3,374,990 Patented Mar. 26, 1968 Still another object of the inventionis to provide aerating apparatus having minimal noise level andvibration to minimize the possibility of causing an uncomfortableenvironment for the bait.

An additional object of the invention is to provide aerating apparatushaving a unitary housing which is readily detachably mounted on a widevariety of conventional bait or general purpose containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide aerating apparatus whereinthe pump assembly is energized and de-energized by the insertion andremoval, respectively, of a standard battery, thereby protecting thehousing and pump assembly from battery leakage.

A still further object is to provide aerating apparatus in which thecomponents may be assembled and disassembled by hand, without tools,when necessary for replacement or inspection.

Other objects are to provide an aerating apparatus which is inexpensive,substantially maintenance-free, and safe to operate.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will appear fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the attacheddrawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed outhereinafter in conjunction with the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of aerating apparatus according to thepresent invention with the unit fully assembled for mounting on acontainer of live bait.

FIG, 2 is a top plan View of the aerating apparatus according to FIG. 1showing the lid and the battery compartment with the lid removed, at theright-and left, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a section view of-the aerating apparatus, taken substantiallyon line 33 of FIG. 2, mounted on a fragmentary portion of a container ofthe type used for live bait.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of the aerating apparatusaccording to FIG. 1 with portions broken away to show particularly thedetails of the pump casing.

Referring now to the drawings generally and particularly to FIGS. 1 and3, aerating apparatus, generally indicated by the numeral 10, accordingto the present invention is adapted for use in conjunction with acontainer 11 for live bait constructed of known metal or plasticmaterials. As shown in FIG. 3, the container 11 has a bottom wall 12 andan upright vertical wall 13 which may be of circular, rectangular, orother polygonal cross section, suitable for retaining a fluid such as aquantity of water W which will support minnows, shrimp, or other aquaticlife. The vertical wall 13 terminates at its upward extremity in a lipor edge 14 which, together with the inner and outer surfaces of the wall13, supports the aerating apparatus 10. For reasons to be hereinafterexplained, the surface level L of the water W must be maintained atapproximately a fixed level below the lip or edge 14. The container 11may be provided with a lid (not shown) which is appropriately cut out toreceive the aerating apparatus 10, if desired.

The aerating apparatus 10 includes an elongated body portion or housing,generally indicated by the numeral 15, which serves to supportandenclose the operating components. The upper portion of the housing 15 isa power supply or battery compartment, generally indicated by thenumeral 16, which may be generally rectangular to house a conventionalcylindrical flashlight battery B. The battery compartment 16 has sidewalls 17 which are spaced a distance slightly greater than the diameterof the battery B and end walls 18 which are spaced a distance slightlygreater than the length of the battery B. The battery B is seated,frictionally retained, and

makes electrical contact within compartment 16 by a pair of electricalmounting clips 19 disposed at either end to contact the terminals ofbattery B. Each clip 19 is attached to an end wall 18 of compartment 16as by longitudinally sliding between a pair of spaced struts 20, 20which are notched for retentive contact. The struts 20 may beconveniently formed integrally in the compartment 16; however, rivets ofa nonconducting material, or other comparable fastening means, may beemployed equally well. The mounting clips are preferably constructed ofcopper, or other similar material having good electrical conductivitycharacteristics.

Medially of the housing 15 and below the battery compartment 16 acyindrical tubular enclosure, generally indicated by the numeral 25,seats an electric motor M (FIG. 3). Battery compartment 16 has a bottomwall 21 with an opening 22 leading to the interior of the tubularenclosure 25. The electric motor can thus be inserted through batterycompartment 16 and is guided and seated in the tubular enclosure 25 on aplurality of L-shaped ribs 26. According to a preferred form of theinvention, the ribs 26 are formed integrally within the tubularenclosure 25, run longitudinally thereof, and are circumferentiallyspaced to accommodate the particular type of electric motor M which iscontemplated. Although the tubular enclosure 16 preferably tapers to asmaller diameter shaft housing 27 forming an annular flange 28, themotor M is spaced from the flange 28 by radial projections 29constituting the bottom of the L-shaped ribs 26 (FIG. 3) for a purposeto be hereinafter detailed.

The electric motor M is preferably an inductance type, many of which areavailable on the market in miniature sizes and at reasonable cost. Themotor M has an external terminal board 30 Which receives electricalpower from the battery B by means of a pair of electrical contacts 31,32. Each of the contacts 31, 32 join one of two leads 33, 34 on theterminal board 30 with one of the clips 19 which contact the terminalsat either end of the battery B. Thus, the motor M is energized any timea battery B is inserted in battery compartment 16 and contacts the clips19. As necessary or desired to provide suitable clearance for theterminal board 30 or other appurtenances, the tubular enclosure 25 maybe provided with one or more radially flared sections 25' providingslightly different internal diameters along the length thereof.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 3, the electric motor M has adownwardly projecting shaft 35 which may be provided with a seal 36 atthe motor casing to prevent the entrance of small quantities of waterwhich are sometimes present in the shaft housing 27. Intermediate theends of shaft housing 27 is a radial partition 37 having an inputaperture 38 which is preferably coaxially aligned with the motor shaft35. Below the partition 37, shaft housing 27 has a circumferential slotor groove 39 which may be formed by cutting away a portion of thehousing 27 at arcuately displaced intervals.

The shaft housing 27 below the radial partition 37 forms a pump casing,generally indicated by the numeral 40, in cooperation with a cap 41which is generally cylindrical, matingly slides over the shaft housing27, and frictionally adheres thereto. The cap 41 has an axial wall 42and a circular end wall 43 provided with an input opening or aperture 44which is preferably located substantially coaxially thereof. The cap 41is held rotationally fixed on shaft housing 27 by an arcuate projectionor tongue 45 of suitable angular extent to matingly engage thecircumferential slot or groove 39 in the shaft housing 27.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the primary component enclosed in pump casing40 is an impeller, generally indicated by the numeral 50. The impellerhas an elongated hub 51 which, at one end, matingly engages the shaft 35of motor M and is rotated thereby. Under the normally light loadconditions in this environment the hub 51 may be frictionallynonrotationally attached by providing a bore 52 which snugly encases theshaft 35;

however, positive restraint in the form of a key may be employed ifdesired. The medial portion of hub 51 passes through the aperture 38 inpartition 37 with substantial circumferential clearance for a purpose tobe hereinafter described. At the second or lower end of hub 51, aplurality of circumferentially spaced vanes 53 project outwardly.Although the vanes 53 might be curved for optimum performance, thesubstantially radial configuration shown provides satisfactoryefficiency and advantageous construction simplicity.

The impeller 50 is provided with dual axial inputs for water and air bythe configuration of the pump casing 40. Water is directed axially tothe bottom of hub 51 through the inlet opening 44 in end wall 43 of cap41 which is maintained at least partially submerged in the water W. Airis available at the top of vanes 53 of impeller 50 by communication withthe atmosphere through the housing 15. The above described clearancebetween the hub 51 and the aperture 38 in partition 37 allows freeingress of air. Similarly, the ribs 26 space the motor M from thetubular enclosure 25 to allow free passage of air therethrough.

With air and water available at the base of the vanes 53 near the hub51, the rotation of impeller 50 centrifugally displaces both inputconstituents radially outwardly while being carried circumferentially onthe vanes 53. The rotary action of the impeller and its spacing axiallyinward ly of pump casing 40 give a turbulent circumferential travel tothe constituents inwardly of the lower extremity of shaft housing 27,thereby causing a mixing or whipping action which results in appreciablequantities of air becoming entrained in the water.

The pump casing 40 is totally sealed, except for the input openings anda discharge nozzle, generally indicated by the numeral 55, which isformed in the cap 41. The discharge nozzle 55 has a curved guide wall 56extending generally tangentially to the circular path of the outerextremities of the vanes 53 of impeller 50 and forming an orifice 57 ofpreferably circular cross section, although a volute shape could beemployed. The orifice 57 of discharge nozzle may discharge directly intothe water W, but improved aeration and circulation is achieved byemploying a length of tubing or hose 58 which extends well into thecontainer 11 toward the bottom wall 12 to there expel the water and airmixture. The hose 58 may be inserted in an enlarged bore 59 in thedischarge nozzle 55 (FIG. 3) and have an inside diameter substantiallyidentical to the diameter of orifice 57 to minimize flow restriction.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, inclusive, the entire body portion orhousing 15 of aerating apparatus 10 is enclosed and suspended within thecontainer 11 by a lid assembly, generally indicated by the numeral 60.The top of battery compartment 16 is substantially closed by a plate 61which is generally rectangular and has downward overhangs on each end62, 62 and on one side 63. Each end overhang 62 has a forward and a rearlug 64 and 65, respectively, which are spaced from and projectsubstantially parallel to the plate 61. The lugs 64, 65 selectivelyengage a pair of outwardly projecting spaced flanges 66 and 67 at theupper extremities of each end wall 18 of housing 15 to secure the lidassembly 60. In order to insure the availability of input air toimpeller 50 when the lid assembly is closed, housing 15 may be providedwith one or more air holes such as the cutouts 68 on end walls 18 ofbattery compartment 16. The position of the cutouts 68 well above thewater W and under the overhangs 62 serves to reduce the possibility ofaccidental introduction of water into the battery compartment 16.

In assembling the aerating apparatus 10 after inserting the battery B,the lid 60 is offset positioned so that the lugs 64 of each overhang 62project between the flanges 66, 67 of housing :15. Subsequently, the lid60 is slid laterally into the closed position shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4,with the flanges 66, 67 positioned in the space between the plate 61 andlugs 64, 65. Thus, the lid 60 is restrained from vertical separationfrom the housing 15. Once closed, the lid 60 is preferably provided withmeans for restraining lateral sliding such as a tongue 70 which is builtinto an extension 71 of plate 61. The tongue 70 may be formed by makinga U-shaped cut 72 in the plate extension 71 between reinforcing ribs 73which may be employed to impart additional rigidity, if desired. Forimproved retention, the side 17 of housing 15 may be provided with asmall raised flange 74 which the tongue 70 seats behind when the lid 60is closed. When the lid is to be removed, the tongue 70 may be depressedslightly vertically upwardly to clear the raised flange 74 prior tosliding.

In conjunction with extension plate 71 which seats on the upper edge 14of container 11 to provide vertical support for housing 15, a supportarm 75 is preferably connected to plate 71 to extend at an angle theretofor lateral support. In a manner similar to extension plate 71, the arm75 may be provided with reinforcing ribs 76 for additional rigidity. Inorder to provide maximum flexibility for attachment to a number ofdifferent types of containers having different wall thicknesses andradii of curvature, the arm 75 is preferably spaced a considerabledistance from the housing 15 for attachment to relatively thick-walledcontainers. In cases where a thinner walled container, such as thatdepicted in FIG. 3, is employed, an adaptor clip 77 can be attached tothe arm 75 to give suitable lateral stability. As shown, the clip 77 hasan attachment crook 78 at one end to slide over and frictionally adhereto the arm 75 and a curved bearing surface 79 at the other end tocontact a container wall. The adaptor clip 77 is preferably slightlyresilent to firmly engage the container wall 13, yet displace outwardlytoward the arm 75 when the aerating apparatus is used in conjunctionwith a container having a greater wall thickness. Other than theexceptions noted above, the entire container is advantageouslyconstructed of polyethylene, polystyrene, or other electricalnonconductor.

The aerating apparatus 10 may be normally stored as an assembled unit,except that the battery B is removed so that the apparatus is notenergized and there is no danger of leaking battery fluid damaging thehousing or motor M. When a container is to be aerated, the apparatus 10is prepared by removing the lid 60, inserting a battery B, and replacingthe lid in the manner described above. The housing 15 and lid assembly60 are then mounted on the container to be aerated, and the wateradjusted to a point approximately at the bottom of the batterycompartment or the upper half of shaft housing 27. This maintains aproper balance between the air and water inputs to the impeller 50 sothat water does not engulf the motor M causing damage and a water headdoes not build up which would cut off the supply of air.

Since the aerating apparatus is energized when inserted and for theduration of immersion in the water in a container, there is no danger offlooding the air supply path or creating a water block therein. Theaerator may be operated by allowing it to run continuously for severalhours until the battery is exhausted and substituting a new battery.Alternatively, the apparatus may be operated only a few minutes eachhour which will provide sufficient aeration for a normal size baitcontainer.

A preferred form of the invention has been shown and described insuflicient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice theinvention. Since various modifications in details, materials, andarrangements of parts are within the spirit of the invention hereindisclosed and described, the scope of the invention should be limitedsolely by the scope of the attached claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Aerating apparatus for liquid enclosed in a container comprising,drive means, power supply means selectively energizing said drive means,a housing means encasing said drive means and power supply means anddetachably mounted on said container with a portion submerged in theliquid, pump means located in said housing means having an impeller withsubstantially radial vanes, said pump means selectively energized bysaid drive means, liquid input means from said container to said pumpmeans, air input means to said pump means, discharge means from saidpump means comprising a nozzle having an orifice directed substantiallytangentially of the path of said vanes of said impeller and extendinginto the liquid in said container outwardly of said housing, and tubemeans attached to said nozzle projecting downwardly into said containerto more effectively circulate the liquid.

2. Aerating apparatus for liquid enclosed in a container comprising,drive means, power supply means selectively energizing said drive means,a housing means encasing said drive means and power supply means anddetachably mounted on said container by lid means having overhangs withspaced lugs selectively engaging spaced flanges on said housing means,thereby allowing sliding motion but preventing vertical separationbetween said housing means andsaid lid means, said lid means beingselectively attached to said housing to allow insertion and removal ofsaid power supply means, a portion of said housing means being submergedin the liquid, pump means located in said housing means and selectivelyenergized by said drive means, liquid input means from said container tosaid pump means, air input means to said pump means, and discharge meansfrom said pump means carrying liquid and entrained air to aerate andcirculate the liquid in said container,

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said lid means has adisplaceable tongue selectively engaging a raised flange on said housingto control the sliding motion between said housing means and said lidmeans.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,515,538 7/1950 Wall 261-932,533,936 12/1950 Holmes et a1. 4357 X 2,601,198 6/1952 Willson 2611212,863,653 12/1958 Cummings 261-121 2,919,120 12/1959 Baxter 261-1213,189,334 6/1965 Bell 261121 3,279,768 10/1966 Niewiarowicz 26193 XFRANK W. LUTTER, Primary Examiner.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Examiner.

TIM R. MILES, Assistant Examiner.

